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There aren’t a lot of mid-size cars on the market these days as more people opt to drive an SUV instead. Yet, the 2019 Hyundai Sonata continues to be a popular option, even in the competitive segment. The automaker claims that this model is “smart from every angle,” which might prove why owners keep choosing this car. Yet, reports suggest that this car isn’t all it’s cracked up to be, especially with the faulty engine, poor exterior lighting and defective vehicle speed control.
Click on other model year to view more problems: 2018 2020 2021 2022
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NHTSA Complaints for the 2019 Hyundai Sonata
| Complaint Category | Number of Complaints |
|---|---|
| Exterior Lighting | |
| Engine | |
| Unknown Or Other | |
| Air Bags | |
| Electrical System | |
| Steering | |
| Power Train | |
| Vehicle Speed Control | |
| Fuel/propulsion System | |
| Exterior Lighting:headlights |
Problems with the Engine?
The 2019 Hyundai Sonata is no race car by any means, but it still needs to have a durable engine in order to provide reliability to today’s busy families. Sadly, the complaints suggest something entirely different.
One NHTSA review states, “2019 Sonata 2.0T with just over 11K miles on it began to suddenly shudder and want to stall at low RPM or at the stop. OBDII error code P0302. Dealership said cylinder 2 had little to no compression and needed repair. Could barely limp vehicle to dealership and smell the unburned fuel being ported out of the exhaust.”
This isn’t the only engine problem the Sonata faces. Service Bulletin #19-AT-019H suggests that there have also been troubles with the oil pressure harness and integrated oil temperature sensor. Maybe the car looks smart, but one glance under the engine simply reveals an engine that is falling apart at the seams.
Here are some actual complaints logged with the NHTSA about the 2019 Hyundai Sonata Engine Problems:
I PURCHASED A 2019 SONATA DEMO VEHICLE WITH 5,020 MILES IN JUNE 2019. I REMOVED THE TEMPORARY TAG AND REPLACED WITH PERMANENT TAG ON JULY 16. ON JULY 20, WHILE DRIVING ON THE EXPRESSWAY AT APPROXIMATELY 65MPH, THE ENGINE OVERHEATING ALERT CAME ON AND THE TEMPERATURE GAUGE WAS ON HOT. I PULLED OVER ON THE SIDE OF THE EXPRESSWAY AND WAITED FOR HOURS (IN NEARLY 100 DEGREE SUMMER HEAT) TO HAVE A NEW VEHICLE TOWED TO THE DEALERSHIP. THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT ADVISED ME THAT THE WATER PUMP MALFUNCTIONED AND CAUSED THE BELT TO TEAR. THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT COULD NOT PROVIDE A REASON FOR WHY THE WATER PUMP/BELT MALFUNCTIONED ON A NEW VEHICLE. THE WATER PUMP AND THE BELT WERE REPLACED AFTER THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT HAD MY VEHICLE FOR A ABOUT A WEEK. THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT ADVISED ME THAT I SHOULD NOT HAVE ANY FURTHER ISSUES WITH THE VEHICLE. THE REPAIRS WERE COMPLETED ON 7/29/19. ON AUGUST 16, I TOOK MY VEHICLE BACK TO THE DEALERSHIP BECAUSE IT APPEARS THAT THE REPLACED/NEW BELT IS SPLITTING/TEARING. THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT ADVISED ME THAT THERE IS NOTHING WRONG WITH THE BELT, HOWEVER, THERE IS CLEARLY VISIBLE EVIDENCE THAT THE NEW BELT IS SPLITTING ALSO. I HAVE ATTACHED A PHOTO OF THE VEHICLE PRIOR TO THE REPAIRS; A PHOTO OF THE NEW BELT THAT IS CURRENTLY SPLITTING; THE ORIGINAL SERVICE REPAIR DOCUMENT AND THE DOCUMENT OF THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT ADVISING ME THAT NOTHING IS WRONG WITH THE NEW BELT. FROM THE PHOTO, YOU CAN CLEARLY SEE THAT THE NEW/REPLACED BELT IS SPLITTING ALSO AND IT IS JUST A MATTER OF TIME BEFORE THE ENGINE WILL OVERHEAT AGAIN AND I WILL BE ON THE SIDE OF THE ROAD WAITING FOR A TOW. AGAIN, THE SERVICE DEPARTMENT DID NOT HAVE AN EXPLANATION AS TO WHAT CAUSED THE WATER PUMP/BELT TO MALFUNCTION AND NOW THEY ARE DENYING THAT THERE IS AN ISSUE WITH THE REPLACED BELT.
Problems with the Headlights?
While the engine is busy failing, we turn our sights to the visibility. It turns out that the 2019 Sonata has another serious issue that’s causing trouble for owners that want to drive at night.
Listen to this NHTSA review. “While driving my 2019 Hyundai Sonata after dark I suddenly viewed a rather large black mass and thinking it could be a person I jammed on the brakes. With the car now in Parked status I realized that the black mass was created by the headlights. A frightening event and if a car was in back of me a severe accident could have occurred.”
What’s interesting is that Hyundai has not posted any service bulletins regarding this problem on the Sonata. Yet, they have talked about it with other vehicles in the lineup. Other than offering a solution to this problem, the engineers express that the headlights were explicitly designed this way to increase visibility. They confirm that there is nothing wrong with them and basically tell owners to get used to it. Is it smart then to drive this car at night? That’s one angle it doesn’t look good from.
Here are some actual complaints logged with the NHTSA about the 2019 Hyundai Sonata Headlights Problems:
THE LEFT HEADLIGHT HAS A LARGE BLACKOUT AREA THAT CREATES A SHADOW ON THE ROAD. WHEN DRIVING ON ANY STREET AND ESPECIALLY ON WINDING ROADS IT’S VERY DISTRACTING AND MAKES US THINK THAT THERE IS SOMETHING MOVING ACROSS THE ROAD. I AM DISTRACTED WHEN THIS HAPPENS AND SOMETIMES HIT THE BRAKES. THE RIGHT HEADLIGHT HAS A SIMILAR ISSUE BUT NOT NEARLY AS PRONOUNCED. IT’S AN ASYNCHRONOUS SITUATION WITH ONE HEADLIGHT DISTORTED LIKE THAT. IT’S DANGEROUS IN OUR OPINION. WE DON’T DRIVE AT NIGHT MUSH AND NOTICED THIS RECENTLY BUT WERE WAITING UNTIL THE FIRST OI CHANGE TO GET THIS ADDRESSED.
THE LOW BEAM HEADLIGHTS ILLUMINATE AN AREA UP TO ABOUT 1 TELEPHONE POLE IN FRONT OF THE VEHICLE (APPROXIMATELY 100 FEET). WHEN DRIVING AT NORMAL HIGHWAY SPEEDS AT NIGHT, I CANNOT SEE FAR ENOUGH AHEAD TO OPERATE THE VEHICLE SAFELY. IT IS ONLY WHEN THE AUTO HIGH BEAMS TURN ON THAT THE ROAD AHEAD IS SUFFICIENTLY ILLUMINATED. I CONTACTED THE DEALER WHO CHECKED OUT THE HEADLIGHTS AND WAS TOLD THAT EVERYTHING WAS ACCORDING TO HYUNDAI SPECIFICATIONS.
HEADLIGHTS PROJECT BRIGHT LIGHT ABOUT 20-30 FEET OUT ONLY UP TO ABOUT HOOD LEVEL THEN CUT OFF IN A STRAIGHT LINE COMPLETELY DARK ABOVE THAT AREA AND TO THE SIDE. TWO BLACK OUT SPOTS IN LINE OF VISION MAKE IT IMPOSSIBLE TO SEE WELL ENOUGH TO DRIVE SAFELY IN THE DARK. AFTER MUCH ONLINE RESEARCH HAVE DISCOVERED HYUNDAI CLAIMS THIS IS NOT A DEFECT AND NEEDS NO REMEDY. SO VERY SAD TO SEE TONS OF COMPLAINTS ABOUT THIS OVER THE PAST COUPLE YEARS BUT NOT A SINGLE CONSUMER RATING RECOGNIZES THIS IN ANY REVIEW. HAS NO ONE DRIVEN THIS CAR AFTER DARK UNTIL PURCHASING – WHICH IS TOO LATE. EXTREMELY DANGEROUS!
Problems with the Vehicle Speed Control?
Another vital system in any vehicle is the speed control. After all, if a driver isn’t able to moderate the speed, anything could occur.
This NHTSA review expresses this dangerous situation. “I have leased this car since 1/16/2019 until 4/14/2019. Start first with lower the speed and power just a little bit. Then 4/14/19, the car lower the speed by itself, start shaking up, limp, shows the engine light and the speed control light in conjunction with slippery control light. Then stay at ‘Temporary Engine Protection Mode’ losing speed and can’t drive safely. Just park the car at the safe parking lot to tow it to the nearest Hyundai dealer for inspection or repair. It can be dangerous for other drivers.”
This is a dangerous situation that Hyundai would undoubtedly want to address but guess what. There’s nothing from their camp regarding any trouble with the vehicle speed control. This owner’s problem could have been an engine malfunction, transmission fault or electrical failure. There’s no telling what happened, but it’s likely occurring for other owners. It would have been helpful to receive some guidance from the company that put this defective car together. In order to be considered a vehicle with a “smart” design, it would require that the automaker pay closer attention to the major components. After all, this Sonata can’t seem to drive at consistent speeds, illuminate the road ahead or run on all cylinders.
Here are some actual complaints logged with the NHTSA about the 2019 Hyundai Sonata Speed Control Problems:
THE CAR LOWERS THE SPEED BY ITSELF,START SHAKING UP,LIMP,SHOWS THE ENGINE LIGHT AND THE SPEED CONTROL LIGHT IN CONJUNCTION WITH TRACTION CONTROL LIGHT THEN STAY AT “TEMPORARY ENGINE PROTECTION MODE” LOSING SPEED AND CANT DRIVE SAFELY. JUST PARK THE CAR AT THE SAFE PARKING LOT TO TOW AT THE NEAREST HYUNDAI DEALER FOR INSPECTION O REPAIR. IT CAN BE DANGEROUS FOR OTHERS DRIVERS. WHEN I GET THE REPORT OF THE ISSUE AND RECEIPT I WILL SUBMIT SOON AS POSSIBLE. IF ANY RECALL HAPPEN.
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Complaint Data
| Category | Unknown Or Other |
| Date | Mar 16, 2023 |
| State | NC |
| Description | White paint bubbling up and chipping off of car. No abrasion beforehand. |
| Category | Engine |
| Date | Feb 21, 2023 |
| State | NJ |
| Description | Well below the 5000-mile mark for an oil change, multiple times between multiple oil changes my oil light would come on. I would be at a stop light and the oil light would come on as soon as I start going again. Checked the oil when I got home and there was barely any oil on the stick. Found hundreds if not thousands of complaints about the engine burning oil very fast in multiple hyundai's and kia's for almost a 10-year span. This has yet to be recalled by hyundai, this is a very dangerous situation that if it continues going unnoticed, could cause death or serious injury. It is a known issue at hyundai dealerships, and they will fix it if it's still under the 100,000-mile warranty, but only if you bring it up to them. Hyundai/kia has yet to fix the problem or do a recall that has been across multiple models for 10 years. |
| Category | Engine |
| Date | Feb 11, 2023 |
| State | FL |
| Description | The engine is leaking oil in my garage. The car has 50,000 miles and is constantly loosing oil. It is 100% dealer maintained, and is current on all scheduled service. |
| Category | Engine, Steering |
| Date | Dec 20, 2022 |
| State | CT |
| Description | The car was stolen, one of the vehicles that hyundai manufactured without an engine immobilizer, making it very easy to steal. Consumers didn't know about this defect, because the corrupt automaker kept us in the dark. I'm fairly certain that by breaking the steering column to expose the port to start the car, that driving the speed limit or having control of the vehicle was on the thieves mind. The safety of my neighbors and anyone they were driving would have had their safety compromised. The vehicle is currently being repaired cosmetically. The engine immobilizer will not be installed by the body shop. It was inspected by a certified repair shop of state farm. No warning lights were illuminated. |
| Category | Air Bags |
| Date | Dec 12, 2022 |
| State | FL |
| Description | The contact's uncle owns a 2019 hyundai sonata. The contact stated while his uncle was driving approximately 20 mph and going over a speed bump, the driver's side front and side air bags deployed. The contact stated that the passenger's side air bags did not deploy. The contact stated that his uncle saw the air bags warning light illuminated, but only after the air bags had deflated. The contact had taken the vehicle to a local dealer who did not want to diagnose the vehicle. The vehicle had not been repaired. The manufacturer had not been informed of the failure. The failure mileage was approximately 27,000. |
| Category | Engine |
| Date | Nov 10, 2022 |
| State | IL |
| Description | 4500 miles after an oil change the oil drain plug fell out and oil leaked out resulting in an engine stalling. An oil warning light came on 7 minutes before the vehicle stalled on the highway. |
| Category | Electrical System, Engine, Power Train |
| Date | Nov 07, 2022 |
| State | NY |
| Description | I was traveling on a highway when a "hybrid system warning" suddenly appeared on the dashboard. Every dashboard warning light illuminated. The car began to lose power. I exited the highway immediately and the car began to have sporadic power and was "lurching." I immediately pulled onto the shoulder and at that time another warning on the dash appeared within a minute or two of the first warning that said "shut engine off." the computer screen began to flash on and of and the windows would not roll up smoothly. When the tow truck arrived the car wouldn't start and it didn't recognize the key fob. Hyundai now has the vehicle and claims the car needed a "software update", but they cannot tell me if it will ever happen again and cannot tell me why the car goes into critical failure when it needs a mere software update. This is the second time this has happened. The first time it was repaired under a voluntary recall campaign about a year ago. This is an extremely dangerous occurrence as the car loses power without warning. I was fortunate to be near an exit when it happened and able to safely get off the highway, but that was just luck. The manual indicates that a hybrid system warning means that the car can potentially go on fire. |
| Category | Engine |
| Date | Oct 08, 2022 |
| State | FL |
| Description | The dates are backwards because of the most serious incident which put my safety at risk. On october 3, 2022, while driving on a busy interstate, in rush hour traffic all of a sudden my car began to stall, there was a rattling/knocking sound emitting from the car, I lost power, could not accelerate and my check engine light began to flash. This leads me to believe it was an engine malfunction or failure involving the engine after viewing various ? Online complaints. This was a safety risk not only to myself but to others because there is a posted speed limit that must be maintained on major highways. Other drivers began honking their horns, which added more fear to the anxiety I was already experiencing. In retrospect, had a car not realized I had slowed could have hit my car, which could have resulted in fatal injuries to my infant son and I. There was a recall service campaign update 953, which is related to the knock sensor detection system, which was performed on my car in february 2020. Furthermore, on october 1, 2022 while driving a red oil lamp began to flash on my car. I pulled over on the side of the road, called my personal mechanic who then informed me to get someone to bring oil before driving from the location. Once my friend brought the oil, it took 5 quarts before the light stopped blinking and I was able to drive home. The next day, I saw what appeared to be dark colored oil on ground where my car was parked overnight. Subsequently, I took the car to inspect the leak, because hyundai informed me nothing would be covered because I was just outside of my 60,000 mile warranty. While at the mechanic it was found that I had an oil leak emitting from a crack in my oil pan. Again, my personal mechanic advised I take my car to the dealer, which I had the car towed on october 5, still waiting for a response on the status of my car(10/8/2022) from hyundai while paying for a rental out of my own pocket. |
| Category | Exterior Lighting:headlights |
| Date | Sep 19, 2022 |
| State | NY |
| Description | The contact owns a 2019 hyundai sonata. The contact stated that while driving at night at various speeds with the low beam headlights activated, there was a shadow reflecting on the roadway. The driver's side headlight illumination was distorted. Additionally, it was difficult to keep the vehicle on the highway. There were no warning lights illuminated. The local dealer was not contacted. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was not notified. The approximate failure mileage was 26,200. |
| Category | Unknown Or Other, Vehicle Speed Control |
| Date | Aug 24, 2022 |
| State | CO |
| Description | Unknown. This has happened a couple times now. I am driving and the hev light, engine light and battery light turn on, car won't brake properly and almost cause me to hit other cars and will shut off on its own on the highway. It will accelerate on its own even when trying to brake. Extremely dangerous. |
| Category | Steering |
| Date | Aug 15, 2022 |
| State | WI |
| Description | In september 2021 my power steering went out at highway speed making it unsafe and difficult to steer. The power steering ecu was replaced. The same thing happen again in june 2022 this time more parts were replaced position / torque sensors and wiring harness. The same issue happened again in 8/2022 the steering wheel was jerking and trying to make corrections (I don't have lane keep assist on any type of steering assistance in my vehicle. This in an ongoing problem and I can't trust that the vehicle is sage |
| Category | Electrical System, Engine, Unknown Or Other |
| Date | Aug 05, 2022 |
| State | IL |
| Description | My vehicle was stolen from in front of my home. The "alarm" did not sound or go off at all. The area where my key should enter was removed, vandalized, and then an iphone charger was used to start my car via a usb port that is located somewhere within that area. Apparently, this is a tictok trend that has been in the works for a while and targets hyundais. Yet, there has been no response from hyundai to recall sonatas or elantras to remedy this issue. Now I am being forced to pay for repairs on a vehicle that was used for illegal activities and again have to place my family in. I do not feel safe in this situation and I am most likely privy to fall victim again until this issue is resolved. |
| Category | Air Bags |
| Date | May 09, 2022 |
| State | UT |
| Description | The contact owns a 2019 hyundai sonata. The contact stated that while driving approximately 78 mph, a second vehicle crashed into the front passenger side causing the driver to lose control of the vehicle and crash into a concrete median. During the crash, no airbags in the vehicle were deployed and the driver sustained a concussion and neck injury which required medical treatment. A police report was taken at the scene and the vehicle was towed away. The cause of the failure was not yet determined. The manufacturer and local dealer were not yet notified of the incident. The failure mileage was 60,000. |
| Category | Power Train |
| Date | Mar 08, 2022 |
| State | CT |
| Description | The transmission in my vehicle makes a whine when shifting at about 35-40 miles per hour. No other car I ever drove made that noise. Hyundai has replaced the transmission 3 times and they still could not fix it. After the third replacement they said it's normal and that other sonatas make that noise. That cannot be true. They did not replace the transmission 3 times if that noise is normal. If it is true and other sonatas make that noise, there may be a defect that will turn dangerous in other sonatas. The second time the transmission was replaced, the service manager told me they found metal fragments in the transmission fluid. I don't know what problem this defect will cause later on. If you would like to inspect my car to determine if this is dangerous, I can make it available. Thanks! P. S. - below, I have to pick a date of the incident and mileage at that time (so I chose when I first reported it to hyundai), but this happens every time I drive the car. |
| Category | Unknown Or Other |
| Date | Feb 10, 2022 |
| State | FL |
| Description | When accelerating, the vehicle automatically hesitates and loses power. This happens when pulling out from complete stops as well as moving slowly to passing other vehicles. The tachometer still shows power but the brakes depress and there is no power to the vehicle and it hesitates feeling as if the abs are kicking in. In order for it to resolve itself you have to let it run its course. The service departments at the dealer have felt it but can't pinpoint an answer. |
| Category | Exterior Lighting |
| Date | Aug 11, 2021 |
| State | FL |
| Description | Just purchased this vehicle yesterday 8/10/2021. Drove it home at night. There were significant blindspots, and a shadow in the headlight beam. Headlights only illuminated the bottom half of the of the beam hemispheres. This engineering defect is a danger to the driver and passengers in the vehicle, as well as pedestrians and other vehicles. Have reported the issue to dealers sales manager. Will return to the dealership tomorrow in search of a resolution |
| Category | Seat Belts |
| Date | Jul 27, 2021 |
| State | MD |
| Description | The contact owns a 2019 hyundai sonata. The contact stated while she was at a red light, another vehicle crashed into the back of her vehicle however, the seat belt failed to retract, causing the contact to suffer whiplash and a bump to her knees against the dashboard behind the steering wheel. A police report was filed. The contact stated she was able to drive the vehicle to her residence, where she noticed she had sustained injuries on her legs and her right leg was swollen, as well as multiple other injuries. The contact sought medical attention. The contact stated that the vehicle was taken to the dealer and the driver's side seat belt was replaced however, the seat belt was still not latching securely. The vehicle was taken to an independent mechanic who advised the contact to drive the vehicle up to a certain speed and step on the brake pedal to see if the seat belt would operate as needed. The contact did so, and the seat belt operated as needed. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and advised the contact to mail photos of the vehicle and other documents. The contact provided the needed documentation as requested. The approximate failure mileage was 12,246. |
| Category | Exterior Lighting |
| Date | Mar 16, 2021 |
| State | NC |
| Description | I purchased this car october 2019. I noticed the led headlights were a bit dimmer and not as bright as they were with my previous car, which was a 2017 nissan altima with led headlights. There is a prominent dark half moon shaped spot in the spread of the light on the driver side. Also, I noticed as time went on the headlights appeared to be shining closer to the ground and barely illuminating road signs compared to other vehicles on the road. One night I was driving in my neighborhood and almost hit someone walking because the headlight didn't shine on the person until I was rather close and the light finally reached the reflector part of the persons sneaker; I ended up having hit the breaks and swerve. This is definitely much more noticeable sitting at a red light while cars pass in front of you. You can see other cars lights shine onto the doors of cars crossing the intersection. Mine barely gets the door and seems to shine under a car, same when I am behind someone the lights shine virtually below the bumper compared to others than can shine almost directly to the plate. Also another issue I noticed is the headlights do not illuminate the house numbers on mailbox tubes, compared to my other vehicle illuminated these along with the street signs no problem. The dealership said my lights were angled low and raised them. This has shown a slight improvement. There is something definitely wrong with these headlights as other have said on here. Please have hyundai recall this model before a terrible injury happens up to and including death to the driver and those with them and around them on the roads. Not addressing this seriously could lead to a lawsuit that will cost them a lot more money compared to finding a solution to the problem. Please have hyundai look into this further and compare the lights to other cars in it's class. |
| Category | Fuel/propulsion System |
| Date | Oct 21, 2020 |
| State | OR |
| Description | The message "hybrid system failure" suddenly displayed and the vehicle lost power and stalled. This occured on hyw (65mph) and nearly caused wreck from behind |
| Category | Exterior Lighting |
| Date | Sep 28, 2020 |
| State | IL |
| Description | The led dynamic bending headlamps project 2 black voids onto the roadway or stationary objects in front of the vehicle. These voids do not illuminate the area on the pavement and are a driving distraction. The voids can be observed consistently during use of the low beams whether the vehicle is in motion or stationary. These dark voids only appear with low beam use and do not appear while using the high beams. At the time I purchased the vehicle, oct 21, 2019, the sales rep informed me this flaw could be fixed by a mere headlamp adjustment and after 3 headlamp adjustments by the dealer (ongoing into february 2020 and having hyundai directly tell me to work out issue with dealer) because it could not be fixed and there was no way of changing the headlamp assembly, the dealership found a technical bulletin from hyundai about this issue dated december 2018 describing these voids as an anti glare mechanism and to not perform any headlamp adjustments. |
| Category | Unknown Or Other |
| Date | Sep 05, 2020 |
| State | NY |
| Description | The touch screen radio is ineffective when tuning to siriusxm. It just sits on updating and nothing else you press works. I have had multiple mechanics look at it, pulled fuses, resets and nothing fixes the issue. From research online it appears this has been an ongoing issue for years with hyundai touch screens. They say there's nothing they can do, but I literally just bought the car. |
| Category | Exterior Lighting |
| Date | Aug 03, 2020 |
| State | NJ |
| Description | While driving at night there are 2 round blackout spots in the beam from the headlights. This is a dangerous situation as while driving it looks as though something is in the roadway. Very dangerous situation. Hyundai dealer said they have heard of the complaints but can do nothing. |
| Category | Exterior Lighting |
| Date | Jul 27, 2020 |
| State | NJ |
| Description | On 7/15/2020, I purchase a 2019 hyundai sonata limited with 6,182 miles. On 7/25/20, I was out after dark and used my headlights for the first time. I noticed a dark line in my visual field and 2 half circles protruding from below the dark line while driving with my low beams on. I had limited visibility in front of me and was trying to look under the line to see better. I was also extremely distracted by the 2 notches, with the driver side notch being more prominent, as they move as you drive. This was not an issue once the high beams were on. This is my 3rd sonata and I have not encountered this previously in my other 2 sonatas. I took it out again last night and drove around my neighborhood to see if the notches and line were still there and they were. I also noticed that when I turned the corner there is a blind spot created by the notices and low visual line which prohibited me from seeing a man walking his dog. This could have been potentially fatal. Hyundai sonata definitely has a design flaw and it's a huge safety hazard. I cannot help but wonder if this is the reason the car was already traded in. I cannot believe that it has not been addressed and remedied yet. Driving at night is more dangerous to begin with. It is alarming that hyundai has been allowed to continue to manufacture a car with such a huge issue for a part as vital as headlights and no one has forced them to address it. I have no doubt there have been and will continue to be accidents as a result of this defective design. Distraction and reduced visibility is not something that a driver will get used to nor should they have to. Nhtsa please make hyundai address this problem! |
| Category | Engine |
| Date | Jul 20, 2020 |
| State | PA |
| Description | Exhaust tip under right rear bumper extends past end of bumper. A few weeks ago someone burned their leg while accessing the trunk. Yesterday, a separate person was also burned from same exhaust tip from standing close to bumper to access the trunk. We had 2016 sonata for 4 years and never experienced burns from similar exhaust tip. Car was parked on level driveway. Car was warmed up from recent drive and turned off. |
| Category | Electrical System |
| Date | May 01, 2020 |
| State | CA |
| Description | Newly leased vehicle. Within the first two weeks and less than 300 miles the vehicle failed to start on two different days in the morning. The brake pedal was hard and car would not start. After more than 5 attempts it finally started. It was parked in the garage. Vehicle has been at the service department for 3 days and have not been able to diagnose since they can't replicate it. |
| Category | Unknown Or Other |
| Date | Apr 17, 2020 |
| State | WA |
| Description | The driving assist feature which indicated if a vehicle is in the next lane is supposed to engage but it has stopped working. *tr |
| Category | Unknown Or Other |
| Date | Mar 26, 2020 |
| State | NJ |
| Description | Aeb system does not function at all. Will not detect vehicle in front of me nor detect a pedestrian. It gives no stage 1,2 or 3 warnings while in motion on city streets or highway. I have contacted the hyundai headquarters and have yet to resolve this concern. |
| Category | Exterior Lighting, Visibility/wiper |
| Date | Mar 12, 2020 |
| State | SC |
| Description | The headlights on this new care have spots without any lighting. There are have circles without light and on distinct black line. Mostly with low beam. There are very dangerous blind spots. It is now at the dealership for the 2nd time trying to repair but the service man stated he did not think there was a fix for this problem. |
| Category | Exterior Lighting |
| Date | Mar 05, 2020 |
| State | FL |
| Description | Headlights on low beam make dark shadows on road. Makes it appear something is moving onto the road from side; swerved to avoid, almost causing accident. Blocks visibility of actual lane of travel; couldn't see pedestrian in crosswalk when turning corner. Significant safety hazard that could cause serious accident, injury, or death. Impossible to concentrate on roadway while driving, as eyes automatically follow the moving shadows, causing total distraction, mental fatigue, motion sickness. Problem must be addressed and corrected. This is not a one time thing... Always when driving after dark with low beams. Just now reporting. |
| Category | Air Bags |
| Date | Feb 18, 2020 |
| State | TN |
| Description | While traveling in one direction, an oncoming vehicle attempted to u-turn in an intersection with no traffic lights or stop signs. They hit my car in the front driver's side, causing enough damage for the vehicle to be towed away and totaled. In this crash the airbags did not deploy. There was no previous indication that the airbags were faulty, no recall, and the vehicle was brand new at time of purchase 7 months prior to the incident. Luckily, I was not injured although my hand did hit the steering wheel or window (or something in that vicinity), it was too quick to really realize what specifically I hit. *tr |
| Category | Exterior Lighting |
| Date | Jan 25, 2020 |
| State | NJ |
| Description | Headlamps do dont project correctly. There is an issue where the lamps are distorted from the headlamp design. Areas of the lamp projection are blocked creating blacked out areas. Dealer advised it is an issue and tried to resolve by adjusisting headlamps higher. This did not resolve the issue. Now oncoming drivers think the high beams are on and constantly get flashed. This is a dangerous situation and it appears hyundai is ignoring the problem |
| Category | Unknown Or Other |
| Date | Jan 03, 2020 |
| State | MD |
| Description | Twice within two months my vehicle that I am currently leasing has stalled and not accelerated after being stopped at a stop light. Both times with taking the car to get looked at the dealership has pushed me out the door without truly taking ample time to figure out what the issue is and more disappointing and disturbing the 2nd time they only solution to me telling them I no longer feel safe driving it without finding a solution to the issue and fixing it was for me to start an entirely new 3 year lease with the same year model and make but unbelievably with higher car notes. To me this was a disrespectful slap in the face to say the heck with living up to our warranty standards and instead let's try and make another sales deal. The most recent time the car stopped working while in drive and left me dangerously stranded in an intersection. |
| Category | Air Bags |
| Date | Dec 20, 2019 |
| State | WI |
| Description | Tl* the contact owned a 2019 hyundai sonata. While the contact was pulling into an intersection, a second vehicle crashed into the front driver side of his vehicle. The front end of the vehicle was severely damaged; however, the air bags did not deploy. The driver sustained broken ribs, and injuries to the leg, head, and arm. Medical attention was received and police report number: [xxx] was filed. The vehicle was destroyed and towed from the scene. Broadway automotive (1010 s. Military ave, green bay, wi) and the manufacturer were notified of the failure. The failure mileage was 3,500. *dt ('parts of this document have been redacted to protect personally identifiable information pursuant to the freedom of information act (foia), 5 u. S. C. 552(b)(6).')*jb |
| Category | Unknown Or Other |
| Date | Dec 03, 2019 |
| State | IL |
| Description | I purchased this vehicle brand new with only 18 actual miles on the car around 6/14/19. During a call to dealership customer service call I was advised there was a software update that needed to be completed (service campaign 953 - ecm & cluster update-engine monitoring logic product improvement). Service was completed within 4-5 days before service campaign was closed. Within one week later was driving vehicle and bell went off and displayed two message on the instrument cluster. Three indicator lights were frontal collision avoidance, warning indicator and epb indicator activated. After arriving at destination I was going to back vehicle into a parking spot and noticed the rear camera not working. After getting back in car and leaving, the instrument cluster and camera was back to normal operation. Next day returning home from work the same incident occured a second time. This time noticed after putting the vehicle in park and not turning vehicle off, then trying to put vehicle in drive, the gear shifter would not come out of park until vehicle is turned off. Took to dealership and vehicle was showing several codes. Hyundai was contacted and was advised to have software reboot. This worked for close to a week then happened a third time within 403 miles since service campaign was completed at 7514 miles. |
| Category | Exterior Lighting |
| Date | Nov 08, 2019 |
| State | AR |
| Description | Category: potential fatal. Low beam headlights on drivers side has a blind spot approximately 30 feet from front of vehicle obscuring pedestrians and on coming traffic from the operator. Blind spot is approximately 5 feet wide by 15 feet long and also with a minor blind spot at approximately 40 feet and to right of original stated blind spot and is approximately 1/5 the size of originally stated blind spot. This is a total of 2 blind spots, creating an unsafe driving environment with potential fatal consequences. |
| Category | Engine |
| Date | Nov 04, 2019 |
| State | GA |
| Description | I purchased a 2019 sonata demo vehicle with 5,020 miles in june 2019. I removed the temporary tag and replaced with permanent tag on july 16. On july 20, while driving on the expressway at approximately 65mph, the engine overheating alert came on and the temperature gauge was on hot. I pulled over on the side of the expressway and waited for hours (in nearly 100 degree summer heat) to have a new vehicle towed to the dealership. The service department advised me that the water pump malfunctioned and caused the belt to tear. The service department could not provide a reason for why the water pump/belt malfunctioned on a new vehicle. The water pump and the belt were replaced after the service department had my vehicle for a about a week. The service department advised me that I should not have any further issues with the vehicle. The repairs were completed on 7/29/19. On august 16, I took my vehicle back to the dealership because it appears that the replaced/new belt is splitting/tearing. The service department advised me that there is nothing wrong with the belt, however, there is clearly visible evidence that the new belt is splitting also. I have attached a photo of the vehicle prior to the repairs; a photo of the new belt that is currently splitting; the original service repair document and the document of the service department advising me that nothing is wrong with the new belt. From the photo, you can clearly see that the new/replaced belt is splitting also and it is just a matter of time before the engine will overheat again and I will be on the side of the road waiting for a tow. Again, the service department did not have an explanation as to what caused the water pump/belt to malfunction and now they are denying that there is an issue with the replaced belt. |
| Category | Equipment |
| Date | Nov 04, 2019 |
| State | PA |
| Description | 2019 hyundai sonata. Consumer writes in regards to defective key fob. *ld the consumer stated the electronic fob easily and unitentionally detaches from the emergency key. *js |
| Category | Exterior Lighting |
| Date | Oct 28, 2019 |
| State | FL |
| Description | While driving my 2019 hyundai sonata after dark I suddenly viewed a rather large black mass and thinking it could be a person I jammed on the brakes. With the car now in parked status I realized that the black mass was created by the headlights a frightening event and if a car was in back of me a severe accident could have |
| Category | Exterior Lighting |
| Date | Sep 03, 2019 |
| State | CA |
| Description | Tl* the contact owns a 2019 hyundai sonata. While driving at night, the projector beam headlights failed to illuminate the road. The vehicle was taken to nicholas parks hyundai kia (1066 marina blvd, san leandro, ca 94577, (510) 347-3000) where the contact was informed that there was no recall on the vehicle and refereed the contact to their repair center. The vehicle was taken to the repair center where the contact was informed that the lights met hyundai standards. The vehicle was not diagnosed or repaired. The manufacturer was made aware of the failure and the contact was informed that the vehicle was operating normally. The failure mileage was 68. |
| Category | Exterior Lighting |
| Date | Aug 24, 2019 |
| State | AZ |
| Description | The left headlight has a large blackout area that creates a shadow on the road. When driving on any street and especially on winding roads it's very distracting and makes us think that there is something moving across the road. I am distracted when this happens and sometimes hit the brakes. The right headlight has a similar issue but not nearly as pronounced. It's an asynchronous situation with one headlight distorted like that. It's dangerous in our opinion. We don't drive at night mush and noticed this recently but were waiting until the first oi change to get this addressed. |
| Category | Engine, Fuel/propulsion System |
| Date | Jun 20, 2019 |
| State | GA |
| Description | 2019 sonata 2. 0t with just over 11k miles on it began to suddenly studder and want to stall at low rpm or at the stop. Obdii error code p0302. Dealership said cylinder 2 had little to no compression and needed repair. Could barely limp vehicle to dealership and smell the unburned fuel being ported out of the exhaust. |
| Category | Exterior Lighting |
| Date | Jun 02, 2019 |
| State | SC |
| Description | Headlights project bright light about 20-30 feet out only up to about hood level then cut off in a straight line completely dark above that area and to the side. Two black out spots in line of vision make it impossible to see well enough to drive safely in the dark. After much online research have discovered hyundai claims this is not a defect and needs no remedy. So very sad to see tons of complaints about this over the past couple years but not a single consumer rating recognizes this in any review. Has no one driven this car after dark until purchasing - which is too late. Extremely dangerous! |
| Category | Exterior Lighting |
| Date | May 14, 2019 |
| State | RI |
| Description | The low beam headlights illuminate an area up to about 1 telephone pole in front of the vehicle (approximately 100 feet). When driving at normal highway speeds at night, I cannot see far enough ahead to operate the vehicle safely. It is only when the auto high beams turn on that the road ahead is sufficiently illuminated. I contacted the dealer who checked out the headlights and was told that everything was according to hyundai specifications. |
| Category | Unknown Or Other |
| Date | May 13, 2019 |
| State | NJ |
| Description | I was backing out of a parking space and when I moved the car it took of at a high rate of speed , flew passed 5 other parking spaces and caused me to hit a parked vehicle |
| Category | Engine, Service Brakes, Vehicle Speed Control |
| Date | Apr 15, 2019 |
| State | CT |
| Description | I have lease this car since 1/16/2019 until 4/14/19 . Start first with lower the speed and power just a little bit. Then 4/14/19 the car lower the speed by itself,start shaking up,limp,shows the engine light and the speed control ligh in conjunction with slippery control ligh then stay at "temporary engine protection mode" lossing speed and cant drive safely. Just park the car at the safe parking lot to tow at the nearest hyundai dealer for inspection o repair. It can be dangerous for others drivers. When I get the report of the issue and receipt I will submit soon as possible. If any recall happen. |
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About the Author:
Brian Jones spent more than 20 years working as an ASE Certified Master Tech and Parts Specialist at multiple dealerships. Brian has become an authority in the industry, traveling across the country to consult for car dealerships and contributing his expertise as a writer for several major automotive publications. In his spare time, Brian enjoys working on pickup trucks, muscle cars, Jeeps and anything related to motorsports.
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